Cape Cod residents grin and embrace visiting bear

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. – The biggest sensation on Cape Cod right now isn’t the lobster, the historic lighthouses or its rolling sand dunes. It’s not even a Kennedy.

It’s a bear.

A bruin believed to have swum about 500 feet across the Cape Cod Canal from the mainland over Memorial Day weekend has captured the imagination of residents as it traipses across the peninsula. Officials say research dating to the 1700s suggests this is the first bear on the Cape.

Boston-area newscasts are featuring daily updates on the bear’s whereabouts, and a Cape Cod Bear Twitter feed has more than 1,300 followers. A local brewery is offering bear-themed shirts.

“Well, my goodness. How often do you see a bear on Cape Cod?” said Marion Larson, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Now that the bear has reached the tip of the Cape, wildlife officials say they may attempt to immobilize and move it to an area where other bears live. Officials say it’s possible the bear could retrace its steps.

“He’s at the end of the line, as far as real estate,” Larson said.